Vehicle wheel



F. J. HAUSCHLD VEHICLE WHEEL Aug. 3, 1943.

2` Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 17, 1942 F. J. HAuscHILD 325,3

VEHICLE WHEEL Filed April 17. 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f i! il Patented Aug. 3, 1943 4 UNITED ST5-Aires PTENT 2,325,953 y. VEHICLE WHEEL. M Y Frederick(.rlnaschiiagonesntau@ p Application/myriam1942, seiiaiinafieaeiv e decisivas; (misa-5&3 'Y v This invention relates generally te the f class of wheels, andlpertai'ns particularly -to enfiniproved vehicle wheel designed tosupplant the present pneumatic tire carrying wheel.

The principal-object 0fthe present inventionl 'is to provide an improved pneumatic type oi Wheelwherein the sustaining air, pressure iscriclosed within a series of cylinders disposeduradially about the axial center of the'wlieel; and

' the-wheel tread has movement relative toesaidi cylinders through the vmedium of pistonsoper-Y mively coupledl with theV tread and` extendedV into the cylinders, the weight sustained byv the wheelg being transmitted through the. compressed air'i'n' the lowerm-ost cylinders to` the pistonsyand' the-ground engaging tread or rim.

:Another object of the invention is to provide anhimproved 'pneumatic wheel of thetype'abore Y that those-conduiitsof thelowerniost'cylinders will beshu't oi by aslight inwardmovement ci? the pistons therein during the operation, of the wheel, whereby the lowermost pistons willjbe` sustained upon a cushionV oivcornpressed air.

AStill anotherl object of the invent-ion is improscribed, wherein a novel rim structure-is pro,` vided and novel means. is employediorcoupling the run-structure with the pistonawhereby slightY orlimited.' turning of .the rim structure.

with respectto the cylindersand pistons is per# rnit'ted` to facilitatethe 'necessary relative up and Y down movement of the rim and cylinders` dur- -ing the rotation of the wheel.

all` times e during'l AThe invention will behest understood irorn.I

.a consideration or the following. detailed de-A seription taken in-'conne'ction with the accom? panying drawings, it being understood, howevenf that the invention is not t0 he considered S as limited by the specific'Y illustration or descrip-rv non but that such illustration and descriptien constitute .a preferred embodiment ofthe im vention.

ln the. drawings. l

Figure -1 is a view, partlyin side elevation and pantlyfin'section, of-fawheel-constructedfin accordance with the present invention, the hub cap andi cover plate forvthe outer side of the Wheel being removed. f

Figure 2f isna. sectional viewv 'takensubstantiralfY Vlykonfthe line 'I4- 2r off Figure-1."

, of the cylinder. Thetop of the head has disposed thereon a resilient metallic disk il'which isdrawn by thefriiuneral"il,k

Figure 3 Vis a sectional.viewfontheg line `.2r-"3 of Figuren, Y 1 Figure 4 is transverse Vsection"on -tlieflineY @-4 @fragore-2; .pf A

Figure 5 sfa fragmentary section-onHVL i 5--5'o`f`Figure21 n Y gl Referring now"rnorefparticularly tot-h ings,thenurneraltdesignates, inFigu'reZ; hicle iwheel brakerum tdwhichthefw eel'y structure is secured inthecustoiafry inann j' through the medium of the ,stud'Vb-ol'ts 2which are integrally` connected/'with' the outer side of the drum; l 'VV' '-fhewheelfstructure of the v'present 'invention,`

-coniprisesa hub :3 whichlis fin thelform 'loi-"a drum and which is designedtof snugly receive the brake drurn,'- as shown in Figure `,2,`thisl wheel dlfurnbeing integrally formed with anin, ner plate of circular design, indicated.generallyv The wheel drumhas'rseoured to its outerside. the reinforcing plate 5, -through` the ,medium oi the pins Sand this plate-and the outer wall-of the wheel drum; are providedl ivithoperiiiigs lf.

, through Whichthe stud bolts 2 entend' to receive .e upon their outer ends the nuts 8 by which the wheel is maintained imposition At the: centi-2Y of the outerwall of the wheel drumyor ihub 35 andl the reinforcing" plate 55A is arrV opening` 'S through which thewhfeel axle i0 projects.v L The circular plaie?? is provided'withalplurality of channels orf'or les ifi'in eachiof"whicht'isr securedgin 'afsiitable manner; apiston cylind r' I2;v This is one ymethod of securing the cylindersl Y Y man desiredE the platsaiifi-V cylinders may `be icrnxed'or-cast as a Vsingle unit'Y er reamed out'to the desired shown in Figures l andi?l j theouter ends of the cylinders which are open; i 4() andthe cylinders ie inside diameter. s

terminate flush with the periphery o f the' plate ll.A `Withineach of the cylinders isa piston 3,the' inner end of whichhas the lconvex or domed head" M 'arounfdiA the periphery Vof vwhich Vis' formecl-a suitable channelfer recess for the reception'of a packing ring'i Vwhich hears against the-wall downftightly by the screw i8 so that the periphery' position against thewall of the cylinder. e `Imiardly rthe khacking fine I6 the Cylinder is. provided the encircling channel l9f whichjifs located the packing `ring l1th" {I hese packing rings are preferably of leather and each` j cylinder willzbev suppliedwith. a suitable quantity.

ofilubricantoil which, dueto the domed construe;YA tion of theicylindeij head, will tend,jas each pistonl comes" around to its lowermost Vertical position,

tojflow t'ojthe walls oithe'cylinder, and thus'lkeepj V the-ringscc-nstantly lubricated and soit. Any'oil" i of thevdisk holds tliepackingf'ring l5 jirmly in Y transversely extendingA slightly arcuate channelY Y 2 the length of each channel and its slight curvaf.

ture substantially corresponding to the curvature of the adjacent rim structure.' Each of these inward movement of a piston is necessary to immediately close the ports so that the air will then be trapped in the inner end of the cylinder and will form a cushion against which the piston presses. Y 1 i T he wheel tread is indicated as a whole by the numeral 36 and this is made up of a series of shoes'each comprising a short arcuate plate "'31 having a central longitudinal rib 38 which engages in the slot 28 of the Wheel rim and is secured therein by the bolts 39, as shown in Figure 2`.

channels is also transversely arcuate, as is clearly shown in Figure 2, the circumferential arc being best shown in Figure 3. channel 2| thereis formedthe slightly curvedjaw 22 which is integral-with the'pistonbody, while upon the outer side of the channel is a removable jaw 23 which is detachably securedt o' the piston by the screw bolt V24.

`As shownin Figure 2, the jaws 22V and 23 coaci to form the complete channel which, as previously stated,fis of varcuate cross-section and is of greatestwidth at the botto-m or inwardly from the mouth of thel channel which is dened by the edges ofthe jaws. Y Thegnumeral 25 generally designates the rim of the wheel which comprises the hollow annular web 26 which is formed integrally with the tread band 2l. Throughthe-band'l andA opening into the hollow web is the annular slot 28, the purpose of which will behereinafter described.

The inner edge ef the nm web 2s is machined vdown to form a short circumferentially extending rim so that any movement of the. rim relative to At the inner side of each Y band and hides the bolts or the cylinders must be accompanied byv a corre-` spending movement of the pistons and also theV pistons and the rim can have slight relative cir-V cumferential mo-vement, thus preventing binding of the parts when the in and out vmovement of ythe pistons in the cylinders occurs.

In orderfto prevent the entrance of'dust and dirt into the recesses 22 and between the heads 3 3 and the surfaces of the channels, each piston has secured to its outer end the transversely and longitudinally arcuate saddle-like shield 3| which rests upon and straddles the inner edge of the rim, thus covering the adjacent recess, as clearly shown in Figure 3. v

Integral with the inner side ef the rim web is the upwardly and inwardly extending flange 32,

the edge 33 of which is in the plane of theplate 4 and thus would be contacted -by the edge of the plate in the event that all of the air escapes from theV cylinder, to prevent the movement oi the cylinders downwardly beyond a desirable position.

Each of the cylinders l2 is provided with two air ports 34 which are located at points inwardly from'the outer ends ofthe cylinders so as Yto be just uncovered by the inner ends offthe' pistons when all pistons are in the same position withV respect -to the center oi the wheel, as shown in- Fi'gure 1. These'ports cf each cylinder are con nected each with a port of an adjacent cylinder, \yajpipe 35 and, consesilently. the. air which is charged into the cylinders under a selected initial pressure, can move or shift from cylinder to cylinder as the wheel rotates under a load. Due to the relative positions of the ports 34 and the-inner ends` .of the pistons it will be seen that only a slight so that there is provided a continuous tread surface around the rim band 2l. e In order to prevent the entrance of dirt lbetween the iiange` 32 and therim and piston an annular shield plate-d2 is secured to the rear of the plate 4 andoverlaps the flange 32, as shown in Figure 2.

The numeral 43 designates a shield or cover of arcuate cross-section which engages at its edges in recesses formed .in the inner surface of the band 2l and the forward or outer side face of the web 25. This forms an arcuate nishing bodyacross the angle between theweb and the secure the shoes to the rim.

The numeral44 designatesa second cover vplate` upon the outersideof the wheel, the outer pe-` ripheral `edge of which engages theV cylinders while the inner lperipheral' edge engages acrossthe inner ends of the cylinders and thisv cover plate is maintained in pc-sition by'stud bolts 45 which, are secured to the back plate 4 and extend-forwardly through the cover in the' manner illustrated in Figure 2. The cover plate 44 is ofannular form and has the diameter of the central opening substantiallyv equal to the diameter of the Vwheel Vdrum 3, and this central opening of the cover plate It is illed bythe hub 'cap 4s 'which is Secured te the' wheel drum,

when e'load isfeepiied to the wheel there Y will Vbe relative movement vbetween-.that 'portion of the wheel which is securedto the brake drum l, namely the wheel drum 3, plate 4 and cylinders- I2, and the movable portiongof the Wheelcomprising the rim 25, tread structure, and thepistons I3 which are coupled with the t rim. Such relative movement willcause' the lowermost Vertical piston, shown with its cylinder in longitudinal sectionin Figure 1, to move upwardly in the cylinder, thereby shuttingroif the escape of air from the upper end of the cylinder through the adjacent conduit 35 and establishing a cushion for the piston. Some slight inward movement will also be give-nto the rpistons upon opposite sides cf the lowermost one, such inward movementalso being accompanied by a slight sliding movement between the outer'V screws 39 which at Vthe inner ends t channel of the rim.

ends of the said adjacent pistons and the rim. The horizontally disposed pistons will slide up on the rim and be shiftedoutwardly slightly while the uppermost three pistons will all shift outwardly with respect to their cylinders. Such sliding movement of the pistons and the cylinders will be continuous during the rotation of Y the wheel and it will be readily apparent that the vehicle which the wheel carries will be sustained by the air cushions formed at the inner ends of the cylinders as the latter move down below the horiozntal center of the wheel.

1. A wheel construction ofthe character described comprising a plate body having a central' hub adapted to be mounted upon a supporting axle, a plurality of cylinders carried by said plate radially with respect to the hub, said cylinders being closed at their inner ends, air conduits connecting the inner ends of thecylinders together, a piston within each cylinder, a rim encircling and connecting with the outer ends ofY 2. A wheel structure as set forth in Vclaim 1;

Y opening into'the cylinders immediately adjacent the inner ends of the pistonsswhen all ofthe pisin which each of said shoesv comprises a plate Y with which the rib is integrally formed and a rub- Der covering body over the outer face ofthe plate and extending across and inwardly with respect to the side edges thereof. n

3. A wheel structure as set forth in claim l,

including an annular flange formed integral with the inner side of the rim and curving inwardly toward the centerof the wheel and having its inner edge in spaced relation with the peripheral edge of the cylinder carryingA plate,and an annular shield plate secured'to the cylinder carry- Y ing plate and extending across thespace between the last named plate and said flange.

Y 4. AA pneumatic wheel comprising a central portion including a plurality of cylinders disposed radially about the axial center of the wheel and means for mounting the wheel on and for rotation about an axle, and an outer portion comprising an annular rim encircling and extending across the outer ends of the cylinders, a plurality of pistons each connected at one end with said rim and slidably extending Vinto a cylinder, a ground engaging tread carried by the rim, air conduits connecting said cylinders together and opening into the cylinders immediately adjacent the inner ends of the pistons when all of the pistons are at equal distances from the axial center of the wheel, each of said pistons beingformed at its outer end to provide a pair of opposing jaws, and said rim having a seriesof spaced recesses each formed to `provide a transversely arcuate head slidably held between a pair of piston Jaws. s Y

5. A pneumatic wheel comprising a central portion including a plurality of cylinders disposed radially about the axial center of the wheel and means for mounting the wheel on and for rotaof pistons each connected at one end with said vrim and slidably extending into a cylinder, a

ground engaging tread carried by the rim, air

yconduits connecting said cylinders together and Y opening'into the cylinders immediately adjacent the'inner cndsof the pistons when all of the pistons are at equal distances from the axial center of the Wheel, said rim having a transversely rounded inner edge and said rounded edge Vhaving the surface formed with a series of spaced circumferentially extending short recesses, means ior'connecting the outer end of each piston with the recessed portion ofthe rim whereby sliding movement may occur between the said outer end of each pistonand Athe bottom of the recess of the rim within the limits of the recessedportion. 6. A pneumatic wheel comprising a central por-Y tion including ra plurality of cylinders disposed radially about the axial centerlof the wheel andV I means for mounting the wheel on and for rota- A tion about an axle, and an outer portion comprising an'annular Vrim encircling and vextending across the outer Vends of the cylinders," a plurality of pistons each connected at one end with said rim and slidably extending into a cylinder, a I* ground engaging tread carried by the rim, air conduits connecting said-'cylinders together and tons are at equal distances from the axial center of the wheel,said`rim having its inner edge provided with a series of spaced short recesses extending circumferentially of Ythe rim, means coupling the outer end of each piston with a recessed portion of theY rim whereby sliding movement of .the piston on the lrimrwithin they limits of the recess is permitted, and-said tread comprising a plurality of shoe elements ydetachably Vcoupled in Y end to end relation with said rim. Y

' 7.'A cushion wheel comprising `a hub portion, Y a plurality of piston cylinders'secured to and ex I tending'radially from said hub and disposedequi- Y p distantly thereabout, each of said cylinders being.

openat its outer end, a piston in each cylinder,l

a fluid passing conduit Aconnecting, said cylinders ltogether at points adjacent the inner ends vof the pistons whenall of the pistons are equidistantly tion about an axle, and an outer portion comprising an annular rim encircling and extending across the outer ends of the cylinders, a plurality Y spaced from the center of the hub at a predetermined position with respect to said center, a rim encircling the pistons and having a central inwardly extending web havinga transversely i rounded free inner edge, said web having a series of short circumferentially extending recesses `in' the surface of the rounded edge, eachrecess being in radial alinement with a piston, means operatively coupling the outer end rof each piston with the recessed area of the web adjacent thereto comprising an integralinner jaw member engag-Y ing across the innerside of therrecessed area,

and an outer jaw member which is detachably coupled' with the piston and disposed to engage in the recess upon the outer side of the web, said Jaws coacting to inclose the adjacent recessed portion of the-web for limited sliding the recess, and a tread carried by and encircling the outside of the rim.

tially outwardly opening slot, and-said tread coinprises a plurality of units having a central inwardly extending rib removably engaged' in said slot, with means for'securing the ribs in the slot.

d FREDERICK J. HAUsormiD.

movement in 

